Google To Launch First Experimental Satellite For Orbital AI Data Center Project

(RTTNews) - Google under Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) is preparing to launch its first experimental satellite as part of Project Suncatcher, an ambitious effort to develop AI data centers in orbit. The satellite, called MVP, is scheduled to launch on October 1 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Transporter-18 rideshare mission. About the size of a refrigerator, MVP contains four of Google's custom Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) AI accelerators and solar panels capable of generating about one kilowatt of power. The spacecraft was built by Planet Labs, allowing Google to accelerate its testing rather than develop a satellite from scratch.